Forever in Twelve
by musicalfreak86
Summary: In Mockingjay, we get hints as to what happened to Effie during the Rebellion. But that's all we get. What was going on with Effie and Haymitch while Katniss' trial was going on, before they left Snow's mansion for good?


**This goes with Hayffie challenge #37: She's so tiny and fragile. It's not a central point, but it's in there. =]**

**Oh, and I don't own the Hunger Games!**

* * *

It happens in the blink of an eye. The bow shifts, so quickly that no one even has the chance to think. The arrow flies true, and President Coin falls over the balcony, dead. There is a collective gasp from the crowd, and then a silence only marred by the disturbing laughter of Snow. As his laughter begins to get more and more choked, the crowd begins to move. It moves in huge, crushing waves. Some people try to move closer to see what's going on, and others begin to move away, knowing all too well where this is going to end. Knowing that the soldiers will not spare pedestrian lives just because they are innocent. If they are in the way, they will be dealt with.

The first thought that comes to Haymitch's mind is not the fact that the woman who is supposed to be the new President of Panem has just been assassinated. It's not the fact that he could easily be targeted just because he is known to be very close with Katniss, and therefore may have helped her come up with this scheme. He doesn't even think about how the Mockingjay herself could easily be in grave danger because of the rash decision she has just made.

The first thought that comes to his mind is '_Effie.'_

He doesn't stop to think about what this could mean. What it could mean that she is the first person to come to his mind. He doesn't have time to think, because the crowd is closing in now, and even though they are up on the balcony, the situation is incredibly dangerous. He worked too hard to make sure she stayed alive, and he of all people knows how weak she still is.

He looks for her in the mass of running people. He sees Snow coughing out his last, still tied to the post. He sees Katniss being taken away, flanked by two soldiers. She is screaming and fighting, and Haymitch knows that he should be doing something to help her. But all he can think about is Effie, and dammit, where did she go?

Then he sees her. She has pressed herself against a wall, flattening her body against it as much as possible to avoid being carried away by the crowd. They have powdered her face and caked on the makeup again, forcing her to keep up appearances for the camera. If he had the time to think, he would be seething. He alone knows how much she hates having to wear that getup, and he is furious that they made her wear it again. It just proves what Katniss already figured out. That a life under President Coin would have been no better than one under Snow. Different, but no better.

Her eyes are shut, and her mouth is set. As he fights his way closer to her, he can see that she is trembling. She is too scared to move, afraid of being swept away by the crowd and knocked down. He knows as well as she does that she is not strong enough to handle a crowd of this magnitude. She has not recovered enough yet. They have not _allowed _her to recover enough yet.

He finally reaches her, and though he calls her name, it isn't until he grabs her that she acknowledges the fact that he is there. She practically jumps into his arms, and her eyes are huge with fright. He holds her tightly against his body and begins to move in the direction of the crowd. Though he shields her with his arms and uses his own body to break through the crowd, it isn't long before she collapses against him and he is forced to scoop her up and carry her the rest of the way. He realizes how tiny and fragile she feels, all skin and bones from her time in the prison cell. He knows that she is even smaller under all this Capitol getup, and he holds her tighter against the crowds buffeting them from all sides.

He finally makes it back to the hallway that leads to the separate quarters. It's so quiet here that it's unnerving. He goes straight to hers, knowing exactly which one it is from all the time he has spent checking up on her. He has a deep fear that he is going to come in one morning and find that she has slipped away in the night.

"Effie," he says gently, putting his face right by hers. "Effie, I need your key."

She reaches a shaky hand into her pocket and hands him the key. When their hands meet, he doesn't want to let go, but he knows he has to if he is going to get her to safety.

He enters and lays her down on her bed. She is fighting to remain conscious, but she is gripping his shirt tightly. "Don't leave," she begs, and the look in her eyes almost makes him stay. He wants to stay, but he knows he has a responsibility to Katniss. He has to help her too.

"I have to leave," he whispers. He reaches down and gently tugs her wig off, freeing her natural hair and running a hand through it. "I have to leave, but I'll be back. I promise." He kisses her on the forehead, and stands up. "Don't let anyone else in, ok? Promise me."

He makes her say that she promises before leaving the room. He has to hear her voice say it. He can't bear the thought of someone coming and taking her away again, and him not being able to do anything about it. He knows that if they really want to capture her, it won't come down to whether or not she opens the door. But he thinks she is probably safe. He can't think of any reason they would want to take her again.

He brushes a hand through her hair once more before leaving the room, making sure the door clicks shut and locks behind him. She is already asleep.

* * *

It's weeks before he gets the chance to really talk to her again. He is a part of the team trying to straighten everything out. Katniss's trial takes the most time. There are so many people vying for her execution, but in the end, Haymitch and Plutarch win out.

During all of this, he gets chances to pop in and check on Effie for very short periods of time. He knows he probably shouldn't be doing it at all. He doesn't want either of them to get into trouble, because that would just make it harder on her. But he can't just leave her for this long without knowing that she is alright. Knowing that she is eating and regaining her strength, and hasn't been taken. He wants to check on Katniss the same way, but the Mockingjay has been completely quarantined until the trial is over.

But his time with Effie is short, only long enough for him to tell her that things are working out, that things _have _to work out. He reassures her every time that she is safe, and every time she begs him to stay just a little longer. But he can't. He knows he can't. Not if what he has in the works for her is actually going to play out to their advantage. He has to be on his best behavior if he wants a favor. And best behavior is not what Haymitch is good at.

But he can do it for her. Just like he makes sure she is actually eating and not just telling him that she is. Her frame is starting to fill out again, just slightly. She is less pale, and she doesn't look like she is about to pass out every time he sees her. He doesn't know how she managed to stay upright during Snow's assassination. She is so much weaker than he realized, and yet they wanted to put her back in that costume and parade her around like some sort of puppet. The thought makes him furious all over again, and he has to reassure himself that Coin is dead.

He counts down the days until the trial is over. Until he can visit her and tell her more than just "things will work out." He wants to tell her that things _have _worked out, and that she is going to leave this mansion for good.

And then, unexpectedly, the day comes. The trial is over, and he gets to tell her the good news.

He wants to go straight to Effie's room, but he knows that he needs to take care of Katniss first. After being left alone and confused for so long, it's only fair.

But as soon as he is done with Katniss and she is being cleaned up and healed, he crosses over to Effie's quarters. She opens the door, and she looks the best he has seen her since the assassination. She is completely free of the Capitol fashion, wearing a simple dress with her face and hair natural. The dress has no sleeves, and he can see the scars from her time in the cell criss-crossing her arms and disappearing into the dress. He tries to ignore the scars, instead focusing on her face, which was miraculously untouched.

"It's over," he says, and as soon as the words leave his mouth he can see that he has alarmed her. He steps into the room and closes the door behind him. "It's over," he repeats. "The trial is over. We won. We're going home." He doesn't know what he expects her to do when she hears this, but he certainly doesn't expect the tears that come, fast and bordering on hysterical. She throws herself into his arms again, almost exactly like she did when faced with the crowd after the assassination.

She cries into his shirt, and he wraps his arms around her, once again noting how tiny she feels. He tries to comfort her, tries to settle her down before she makes herself sick. It's been so hard getting her to eat again, she needs to keep every bit of it that she can.

"Haymitch," she says, in between sobs. "Haymitch, I don't have a home anymore." At these words, he finally realizes what caused this reaction. She doesn't understand.

"Effie," he puts a hand under her chin and tilts her head up to look him in the eye. "I don't think you heard me right. I said _we're _going home. Do you really think I would leave you here homeless after all of this?" He falters for a second, doubts rushing in. "That is, if you want to come."

"To Twelve?" she asks, and he can't read the look on her face. He realizes that his heart is pounding. He didn't know how much this meant to him until now.

"If you're willing to get your hands a little dirty," he says, and breathes a silent sigh of relief when her face breaks into a wide smile. He never really registered how beautiful she was, even with tears running down her face.

She buries her face in his shirt and the tears start up again, but this time he thinks they are happy tears.

"I'll take that as a yes, Princess?" he asks, and she lets out a muffled laugh at the old nickname. "We leave tomorrow, if you're ready to leave all this behind." He moves to look her in the eye and grins. "Can you live without all the glitz and glamour?" he teases, and she responds by kissing him hard.

"Stay tonight?" she asks, and that look that made him want to give in and stay the first day is back in her eyes. It's a lonely look that reminds him that even though she is smiling now, she is haunted like the rest of them, and it will take a lot to fix what's been broken. "Please? Just stay and...hold me?"

He draws her back into his arms and she closes her eyes. "Of course," he whispers into her hair. Natural, non-Capitol hair. It smells of strawberries. "Of course I'll stay. I'll stay as long as you want."

"Forever," she replies, also whispering, though neither of them knows why.

"Forever," he agrees. "Forever in Twelve."


End file.
